American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms

of 1900s]

make tracks

Move or leave in a hurry, as in If we're going to catch the first show, we'd better make tracks. This term alludes to the footprints left by running. [Slang; early 1800s]

make up

1. Put together, construct or compose, as in The druggist made up the prescription, or The tailor said he could make up a suit from this fabric. This usage was first recorded in 1530. 2. Constitute, form, as in One hundred years make up a century. [Late 1500s] 3. Change one's appearance; apply cosmetics. For example, He made himself up as an old man. [c. 1800] 4. Devise a fiction or falsehood; invent. For example, Mary is always making up stories for her children, or Is that account true or did you make it up? This usage was first recorded in 1828. 5. Compensate for, provide for a deficiency, as in Can you make up the difference in the bill? or What he lacks in height he makes up in skill. This usage was first recorded in 1538. Also see MAKE UP FOR

LOST TIME. 6. Repeat a course, take a test or do an assignment at a later time because of previous absence or failure. For example, Steve will have to make up calculus this summer, or The professor is letting me make up the exam tomorrow. 7. Also, make it up. Resolve a quarrel, as in The Sweeneys argue a lot but they always make up before going to sleep, or Will you two ever make it up? The first usage was first recorded in 1699, the variant in 1669. 8. Put in order, as in We asked them to make up the room for us, or Can you make up another bed in this room? [Early 1800s] Also see the subsequent idioms beginning with MAKE UP.

make up for lost time Also, make up ground. Hurry to compensate for wasted time, as in They married late but hoped to make up for lost time, or We're behind in the schedule, and we'll just have to make up ground as best we can. The first term was first recorded in 1774; the variant dates from the late 1800s.

make up one's mind

Decide between alternatives, come to a decision, as in I had trouble making up my mind about which coat I liked best. This expression dates from the early 1800s, although a similar usage appeared two centuries earlier in Shakespeare's King John (2:1): "I know she is not for this match made up."

make up to

Make ingratiating or fawning overtures to, flirt with, as in She was always making up to the boss's assistant. This usage was first recorded in 1781.

make use of

Utilize, use, as in I hope readers will make use of this dictionary. This expression dates from the late 1500s. Shakespeare had it in The Two Gentlemen of Verona (2:4).

make waves

Cause a disturbance or controversy, as in We've finally settled our differences, so please don't make waves. This expression alludes to causing turbulence in the water. [Slang; mid-1900s] Also

see ROCK THE BOAT.

make way

1. Allow room for passage, move aside, as in Please make way for the wheelchair. This expression was first recorded about 1200. 2. Also, make way for. Leave room for a successor or substitute, as in It's time be re

tired and made way for some younger professor. [Mid-1700s] 3. Progress, advance, as in Is this enterprise making way? [Late 1500s] For a synonym, see MAKE HEADWAY.

make whoopee

hand. see WHOOP IT UP.

make with

Use, concern oneself with, as in Why are you making with that strange outfit? or Let's go?

make with the feet! This expression is a translation of the Yiddish mach mit. [Slang; first half of 1900s]

mama's boy

A sissy, especially a boy or man excessively attached to his mother. For example, The children called Tom a mama's boy because he ran home with every little problem. This sexist expression has survived despite its pejorative tone. [Colloquial; mid-1800s]

man

hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with MAN, also see AS ONE (MAN);

COMPANY MAN; DEAD SOLDIER (MAN); DIRTY JOKE (OLD MAN); EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF; EVERY MAN HAS HIS PRICE; GIRL (MAN) FRIDAY; HATCHET MAN; HIRED HAND (MAN); LADIES' MAN; LOW MAN ON THE TOTEM POLE; MARKED MAN; NEW PERSON (MAN); NO MAN IS AN ISLAND; ODD MAN OUT; (MAN) OF FEW WORDS; ONE MAN'S MEAT IS ANOTHER MAN'S POISON; OWN MAN; RIGHT-HAND MAN; SEE A MAN ABOUT A DOG; TO A MAN. Also see under MEN.

man about town

A man who frequently attends fashionable social functions, as in Fred is quite the man about town these days. This expression, first recorded in 1734, uses town in the sense of "a sophisticated place" as opposed to rural settings.

manger

hand. see DOG IN THE MANGER.

man in the street Also, woman in the street. An ordinary, average person, as in It will be interesting to see how the man in the street will answer that question. This expression came into use in the early 1800s when the votes of ordinary citizens began to influence public affairs. Today it is used especially in the news media, where reporters seek out the views of bystanders at noteworthy events, and by pollsters who try to predict the outcome of elections.

manna from heaven

An unexpected aid, advantage, or assistance, as in After all the criticism in the media, that favorable evaluation was like manna from heaven. This expression alludes to the food (manna) that miraculously appears to feed the Israelites on their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land (Exodus 16:15).

manner

hand. see ALL KINDS (MANNER OF); BY ALL (MANNER OF) MEANS; COMPANY MANNERS; IN A MANNER OF SPEAKING; TO THE MANNER BORN.

man of few words

hand. see under FEW WORDS.

man of his word

A man who keeps promises, who can be trusted, as in You can count on Rudy?

he's a man of his word. This expression, which uses word in the sense of "a promise or undertaking," was first recorded in 1542.

man of the moment

hand. see OF THE MOMENT.

man of the world Also, woman of the world. A sophisticated person, experienced in social conventions. For example,

You can discuss anything with him?

he's a man of the world, or She's a woman of the world and understands these delicate issues. The first expression dates from about 1200 and originally meant "a man of the secular world" or "a married man" (that is, not a priest). Shakespeare applied this latter sense in As You Like It (5:3) where Audrey, at the prospect of marriage, says: "I hope it is no dishonest desire to be a woman of the world." Henry Fielding in Tom Jones (1749) also echoed this earlier sense: "A man of the world; that is to say, a man who directs his conduct in this world as one, who being fully persuaded there is no other, is resolved to make the most of this." By the mid-1800s the idea of sophistication had replaced this meaning.

many

hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with MANY, also see AS MANY; GOOD

he always marches to a different beat, or Sarah has her own ideas for the campaign; she marches to a different drummer. This idiom, alluding to being out of step in a parade, is a version of Henry David Thoreau's statement in Walden (1854): "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer." It came into wide use in the mid-1900s.

marines

hand. see TELL IT TO THE MARINES.

mark

hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with MARK, also see BESIDE THE POINT

(MARK); BLACK MARK; GIVE BAD MARKS TO; HIGH-WATER MARK; HIT THE BULL'S-EYE (MARK); MAKE ONE'S MARK; OFF THE MARK; QUICK OFF THE MARK; TOE THE LINE (MARK); UP TO PAR (THE MARK); WIDE OF THE MARK; X MARKS THE SPOT.

mark down

Reduce the price of something, as in If they mark down these shoes, I'll buy two

pairs. The mark here alludes to the label indicating a price. [Mid-1800s]

marked man, a Also, a marked woman. A person singled out as an object of suspicion, hostility, or vengeance. For example, As a witness to the robbery, he felt he was a marked man, or After her fiasco at the meeting, she was a marked woman?

no one would hire her. This idiom was first recorded in 1833.

market

hand. see CORNER THE MARKET; DRUG ON THE MARKET; FLEA MARKET; IN THE MARKET FOR; ON THE MARKET; PLAY THE MARKET; PRICE OUT OF THE MARKET.

mark my words

Pay attention to what I say, as in Mark my words, that man is not to be trusted. This admonition first appeared in Miles Coverdale's 1535 translation of the Bible (Isaiah 28:23).

mark time

Wait idly for something to occur, as in We were just marking time until we received our instructions. This idiom alludes to the literal meaning of marching in place to the time, or beat, of music. [Early 1800s]

mark up

1. Deface by drawing, cutting, or another means of covering something with marks. For example,

John was punished for marking up his desk, or These shoes really mark up the floor. 2. Raise the

price of something, as in This small shop marks up its merchandise much more than department stores do. [Second half of 1800s]

mast

hand. see AT HALF-MAST.

master

hand. see PAST MASTER.

mat

hand. see GO TO THE MAT; WELCOME MAT.

match

hand. see MEET ONE'S MATCH; MIX AND MATCH; WHOLE BALL OF WAX (SHOOTING MATCH).

matter

hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with MATTER, also see CRUX OF THE

MATTER; FOR THAT MATTER; GRAY MATTER; MINCE MATTERS; MIND OVER MATTER; NO JOKE (LAUGHING MATTER); NO MATTER; THE MATTER.

matter of course, a

Something that is expected, as in It was a matter of course that police officers received special training. It is also put as as a matter of course, meaning "as part of a standard procedure," as in

The employer checked John's references as a matter of course. First recorded only in 1809, this idiom uses course in the sense of "the natural or logical order of events."

matter of fact, a

Something that is literally or factually true, as in The records showed it to be a matter of fact that they were married in 1960. This idiom often occurs in the phrase as a matter of fact, as in As a matter of fact, you are absolutely right. Matter of fact was first recorded in 1581, and originally was a legal term distinguishing the facts of a case from the law, called matter of law, applying to it. It began to be applied to other concerns in the late 1600s.

matter of life and death, a

A very urgent issue, situation, or circumstance. This expression can be used either literally, as in

She told the doctor to hurry as it was a matter of life and death, or hyperbolically, as in Don't worry about finishing on time?

it's hardly a matter of life and death. First recorded in 1849, it alludes to such urgency that someone's life depends on it. Although a matter of life or death would make more sense, it is rarely put that way.

clergyman Edward B. Pusey did in a letter of 1851: "Devout minds, of every school . . . meet at least in this."

meet one's match

Encounter someone equal in ability to oneself, as in The chess champion was about to meet his match in a computer. This expression originated about 1300 as find one's match, but the alliterative meet was being used by the mid-1500s and has survived.

meet one's Waterloo

Suffer a major defeat, as in Our team's done well this season but is about to meet its Waterloo.

This term alludes to Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, Belgium, in 1815, marking the end of his military domination of Europe. It was being transferred to other kinds of defeat by the mid-1800s.

meet the requirements

Satisfy the conditions, as in This grade of lumber does not meet our requirements, or Lynn did not meet the requirements for this position. This expression uses meet in the sense of "satisfy," a usage dating from the early 1800s. Also see MEASURE UP, def. 2.

meet up with

Encounter, especially by accident, as in We hadn't gone far along the trail when we met up with another mule train. [Colloquial; late 1800s]

meet with

Encounter or experience, as in The housing bill met with their approval, or Drunk and homeless, he's bound to meet with a bad end. [Mid-1400s]

mellow out

Become genial or pleasant, calm down, relax, as in The teacher mellowed out when they explained what had happened. This expression uses mellow in the sense of "ripening," with the connotation of softness and sweetness. [Slang; late 1900s]

melt

hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with MELT, also see BUTTER WOULDN'T

MELT.

melt in one's mouth

Taste very good, as in This cake is wonderful?

it just melts in one's mouth. This expression, first recorded in 1693, at first alluded to the tenderness of some food that therefore did not require chewing, but it had acquired its present meaning by about 1850. Also see BUTTER WOULDN'T MELT.

memory